CONCESSIONS & EXHIBITS - Becoming a Vendor

Registration Process

The concessions and exhibits department is responsible for selecting concessionaires and exhibitors for the annual 12-day exposition (2018 dates: Aug. 23 through Labor Day, Sept. 3). If you are interested in making a food or non-food presentation at the Minnesota State Fair, please print out and complete a registration form and mail it back to us to formalize that interest. Registrations are accepted all year and are considered as licensing opportunities become available.

If you have questions, please contact our concessions and exhibits staff at (651) 288-4456.

(Registration Form follows this information)

Thank you for your interest in making a commercial exhibit or concession presentation at the Minnesota State Fair. You may download/print a registration form to formalize your interest from the previous page. There is no deadline for registration return. Be sure to include photos of your booth and information regarding your product(s) and/or service(s). All submissions become the property of the Minnesota State Fair and will not be returned.

Once we receive your registration, we will confirm its receipt and ask that you be patient. Your confirmation letter will be the only correspondence you receive from us, unless a licensing opportunity presents itself. The staff reviews each registration annually, and your submission will be maintained in our files for three years from the date of its receipt. There is no need to register every year.

The process is very competitive. Each year many registrations are considered for a limited number of licensing opportunities. The Minnesota State Fair does not maintain a waiting list. As licensing opportunities become available, appropriate license registrations will be selected from the pool of registrations submitted.

A few criteria considered in registration review:

- Experience at other fairs or shows
- Booth presentation and appearance
- Balance of similar products/services about the fairgrounds
- Appropriateness of product, service or presentation to the available site
- Physical requirements

If you have questions, contact our concessions and exhibits staff at (651) 288-4456.

License Information

License fees are determined by the type of activity for which one is licensed and on the size and location assigned by the sales division. The rates below are for the duration of the 12-day exposition.

Types of License Agreements

Food and Beverage Percentage Concession - food and beverage concessionaires will pay a rate of 15% of gross revenue, after any applicable tax.

Concession - (non-food) license issued to those who sell on site, or accept any form of payment or deposit for future delivery of products or services. Such licenses have a rate of $105.00 per front foot. The example of a 10 foot wide space would be 10 x $105.00 = $1,050.00 site fee for all 12 days of the fair.

Exhibit - (non-food) license issued to those who display goods, equipment, products or services for advertising purposes and future sales only. These license holders may take orders, but will not be permitted to engage in retail sales, accept cash, checks or credit card payments, take deposits of any kind, solicit contributions, accept any form of payment for future product or service delivery, or deliver products or services from the site of their fair exhibit.Such licenses have a rate of $90.00 per front foot. The example of a 10 foot wide space would be 10 x $90.00 = $900.00 site fee for all 12 days of the fair.

Institutional Exhibit - (non-food) license issued to institutions, organizations or agencies whose exhibits, in the discretion of the sales division, qualify as educational or as a service to the State Fair and/or its patrons. Such registrants must provide an appropriate showing of their qualification for such status. No retail sales, order taking, deposit acceptance, contribution solicitation or product and service deliveries are allowed under the terms of such licenses. Such licenses have a rate of $70.00 per front foot. The example of a 10 foot wide space would be 10 x $70.00 = $700.00 site fee for all 12 days of the fair.

License fees are subject to change and cover most usual and ordinary costs, with the exception of electric connection and consumption, utility assessments, insurance, outside gate admission charges for personnel and vehicles and any other extraordinary costs. (The State Fair does not issue outside gate passes of any kind and has a mandatory commercial general liability insurance coverage requirement.) Any individual (of legal age), organization, association, corporation or partnership may submit a commercial space registration.

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